Some have described "Cooley High" as a 'Black American Graffiti', as the style is similar and is set in Chicago in 1964 instead of California in 1962. I could see some similarities, especially the invasive pop soundtrack...something popularized in "American Graffiti". What I do not see, however, is how the film was supposedly reworked into the TV show "What's Happening!!"....they just seemed very, very different....with a different cast, a different style and vibe and more. Plus, this movie is far better than the TV program.
The choice of actors to star in the film is strange but not too unusual for American films. Glynn Turman is a REALLY good actor (aside from his film "JD's Revenge"...a film no actor could make any good) but he was also 28 years-old and playing someone about 17! Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (later, famous for "Welcome Back, Kotter") was a bit closer to the target age at 22. It really is odd how seldom teenagers are actually played by teenagers in movies!
So is it any good? Well, yes...it seems to try very hard to be realistic, though this means that the characters in the film are pretty much jerks! This is NOT a pretty or overly idealized view of black teens of the era. But the acting is good and the story represents a side of life seldom shown in movies of the day.
The choice of actors to star in the film is strange but not too unusual for American films. Glynn Turman is a REALLY good actor (aside from his film "JD's Revenge"...a film no actor could make any good) but he was also 28 years-old and playing someone about 17! Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (later, famous for "Welcome Back, Kotter") was a bit closer to the target age at 22. It really is odd how seldom teenagers are actually played by teenagers in movies!
So is it any good? Well, yes...it seems to try very hard to be realistic, though this means that the characters in the film are pretty much jerks! This is NOT a pretty or overly idealized view of black teens of the era. But the acting is good and the story represents a side of life seldom shown in movies of the day.